DISCIPLINE OF GEOGRAPHY TOWARDS THE EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE GEOGRAPHY ESSAY 3727 WORDS

Today Geography is an extremely diverse discipline covering several areas of study and involving researches with different backgrounds from all over the world (Algona & Marsh, 2003)”. Thus Geography is a discipline that has evolved through time. Since the beginning of this discipline, it was regarded as a study for mapping features, however the definition later expanded. Geography is again, a multidisciplinary subject that is divided into a number of sub-fields. “Traditionally, Geography as well as geographers has been viewed as the same as cartography and people who study place names. As space and place affect a variety of topics such as economics, health, climate, plants and animals, Geography is highly interdisciplinary (Cambridge Encyclopedia, 2010)”.

“While Geography has followed almost all 19th and 20th Century social and biophysical sciences along the reductionist route, we have, in my view, tried to keep an eye on the ”big picture” better than most. We have been criticised for this holistic (and traditionally rather generalist) approach by other disciplines because breadth across a range of disciplines tends to require a somewhat less deep appreciation of any one discipline (Pitman, 2005, p.137)”. Therefore there is a need to expand the discipline in terms of further research but keep it within its context (that is., within the spatial science). Hence, there were changes that were encountered such as understanding the Earth System Science in a holistic approach rather than sub diving it and with the development of computers Geographic Information Systems. Pitman (2005, p.140) stated that, “Earth System Science is gaining considerable momentum”. Thus it can be developed within geography as the two are related in terms of the biophysical aspects.